The Curse of the Storm: A Wizarding World One-Shot
by carryongaran
Summary: Set five years after the Battle of Hogwarts, a group of six friends have made it a tradition to disappear to a little cabin every year to spend time together and reconnect. This year is different. A blizzard rages outside and someone is keeping a huge secret from the others. Could withholding the truth break a bond that years of tragedy created?


The drive to Princetown, a quaint little village in the south west corner of England, had never seemed to drag on longer than it did on this trip. The couple had a slight quarrel before the trip began and neither of the two were ready to apologize. The driver tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, trying to channel his slowly diminishing anger into anything other than his own head.

This was the fifth consecutive year that the couple had disappeared on the day after Christmas to spend a quiet, relaxing week with a group of their favorite people in the world. They first visited the quaint and private cottage the first Christmas after the Battle of Hogwarts and have returned every year since.

The woman's thick brown hair had been wrestled into a loose and messy bun on the top of her head. She had been staring mindlessly out of the car window for the past few hours. She had brought a new book along to read but hadn't managed to make it through a single paragraph since they left their flat in London. She twirled the shiny ring on her left finger. Every now and then, she'd sneak a peek down at it and warily smile to herself.

"It looks like it might snow soon." Her ginger boy quietly spoke, breaking the silence. She gave a slight nod in response but he didn't see.

They arrived at the cottage less than an hour later and the cold, crisp air was just the sort of refreshment that Hermione Granger had desperately needed. Ron popped open the boot as soon as the car stopped moving and she quickly retrieved her luggage.

She had only packed two bags. One for her clothes and the other for her books. One of the things that she looked forward to about this trip every year was that she could catch up on all the casual reading that she had put off during the year.

Ron had walked ahead of her and unlocked the door. They were the first to arrive. Once he opened the door, he walked in and let the door shut behind him. Hermione stopped and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You will not cry today. You absolutely won't." She gave the order to herself before sliding the ring off of her finger and into the pocket of her jeans.

"Did anything seem strange to you yesterday when we were at Mum's?" Ginny asked as she popped a chip into her mouth. They had passed a McDonalds a few miles back and she practically begged Harry to turn around and get her some food.

"Do you mean like out of the normal realm of strange? Something weird is always happening at the Burrow." Harry responded, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. He had always been an extremely cautious driver since learning. Something about that crash into the Whomping Willow had stayed with him well into his adult years.

"No. I didn't mean like strange in general," Ginny said through laughter. "I meant strange behavior, I guess."

"What do you mean exactly?" Harry responded. "I don't usually pick up on those things, you know that."

Ginny did know. Being miffed at Harry was like being miffed at a wall. He hardly ever made the connection if she was even blatantly angry with him. He was oblivious to that sort of thing. Sometimes it drove her mad. She couldn't blame him though. He'd been through a great deal in his short 23 years of life. It would be thick of her to think that he had made it through everything without a few scars, physically and mentally.

"Something weird was going on with Ron and Hermione, I think. They barely even looked at each other all evening." She shared her thoughts with him. He looked away from the road for a second to make eye contact with her.

"You think so? I did notice that Ron was kind of quiet but, then again, he is always a bit quieter around your mum."

"I don't know. I might be reading into it too much. They fought so much in school that I should be able to discern these things more easily." Ginny poked another chip into her mouth and looked out of the window. Snow was beginning to fall. A smile formed on her face.

"That is the truest thing you've said all day. Their rows could be heard from meters away." The two laughed freely. Harry reached one of his hands down to intertwine his fingers with Ginny's. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a little while.

They were only a few minutes away now. Harry could feel the excitement growing in his stomach. He'd looked forward to this trip all year. He never felt more relaxed or safe than he did during a week in close quarters with his best friends.

"I'm a little worried about the Neville/Luna situation." Ginny said, pulling Harry out of his tiny daydream. The excitement that Harry had been feeling was instantly replaced with mild dread.

"I am too. They'll be okay, right? Do you think it's going to be awkward the entire time?" Harry asked, turning onto the last road that led to the cottage.

"I hope not. I mean, they broke up, what, five months ago now? Luna was devastated when it happened."

"Neville was too. They always seemed so happy. I thought Neville was joking with me when I got that phone call." Harry said, anxiety rising in his throat.

"I still can't believe they both decided to come."

"Neville didn't act like there was any bad blood when I talked to him about it a few weeks ago but still. They were together for years. Almost as long as we've been together."

"All we can do is help to keep the peace." Ginny mumbled. The cottage was coming into view through the thick falling snow. There were already two cars there. A small pillar of smoke was rising from the chimney. Ginny smiled.

Luna had laid claim to the bedroom that she and Neville had always shared on these trips. She didn't think he would mind once he arrived. She didn't sleep well on a sofa and she knew that he could fall asleep any place at any time.

She unpacked her small bags fairly quickly and sat down on the bed. She took a moment and looked around the space. She could practically hear the whispered conversations that she and Neville once had in this room. The hushed giggles. She could almost feel the crackling electricity that was their love at its highest point.

They had made love for the first time in this room. Neville had been so gentle with her and she had never loved him so much as she did in those moments. In a way, she never did again. It always felt like that kind of real love was just out of their reach and it had taken them five years to accept that.

Neither of them was ready to say goodbye but they did with a promise to remain friends. They had always been better as friends. She knew that. So did he. She offered to let him have this trip if he wasn't ready to see her again. He made a big show about how he could handle it and insinuated that maybe she was the one that couldn't deal. She didn't know how she was going to handle it yet. She was hoping for the best.

Ron started a fire as soon as he saw the first snowflakes fall. He knew from past visits just how cold it could get in the little cottage. He stood at the large window in the lounge, watching the snow fall fast and hard. It was piling up fast outside. He worried that Neville might not be able to make it. The roads were probably already slick with ice and it was getting darker by the minute.

"You're awfully quiet tonight." Harry spoke, interrupting Ron's thoughts.

"Tired is all." Ron responded, lifting a small glass of whiskey to his lips and taking a swig. "Any word from Neville?"

"None. The cellular service is shit in these parts. He probably couldn't get a call through to us if he tried at this point. Maybe he packed his broom if the roads are impassable." This made Ron chuckle.

"Good one, Harry. Neville's flight record doesn't give me much hope on that theory." Ron felt like that was his first true smile in weeks. It felt good and breathed a little bit of life into him.

"Everything okay with you and Hermione? Ginny mentioned something in the car earlier and it made me notice that you two haven't really spoken since we arrived." Harry's face was now serious. There was something like pity in it. This made Ron's stomach turn.

"Yeah, well, Ginny needs to mind her own business and, for that matter, you should too." His words came out harsher that he had meant for them too and his cheeks were aflame with embarrassment. He took another drink. Harry's eyes were wide and he lifted his hands, backing away.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to check on you. Sorry for overstepping. I think I'll make myself one of those drinks." Harry turned and headed toward the small kitchen.

"Harry, I didn't mean –, "Ron attempted an apology but Harry was already gone. He muttered swear words to himself and finished the drink, staring out into the fading light of day.

Hermione magicked a few dishes when it was time for dinner. She had been collecting recipes all year long in preparation for the trip. She did this every year. Early on, she had realized how hopeless everyone else was when it came to meal preparation and took it upon herself to make the trips as perfect as possible. At least, when it came to food.

Tonight's menu consisted of pheasant stuffed with fresh vegetables and drenched in a honey-lemon sauce. Luna doesn't eat meat so Hermione prepared a tofu-based meal for her. Hermione always felt jealous of Luna's meals once she prepared them. They looked so delicious.

Hermione's second glass of wine was almost empty now and she honestly couldn't wait for the third. She and Ron had been going through a bit of a rough patch for more than a month now and it was weighing on her heart.

Ron had proposed to her out of the blue over a month ago. They had taken Crookshanks for a walk in the park near their flat and it had started to rain. They didn't bring an umbrella and all three of them were soaked. They ran to a little pavilion for shelter and they were both laughing so hard at how angry Crookshanks was about the sudden rainstorm that tears were coming out of her eyes.

Ron pulled her into a kiss, full of passion, and held her close to warm her wet body back up. He whispered in her ear that he never wanted to do this with anyone else and, suddenly, he was down on one knee, without a ring, asking her to marry him. She was so startled that she just ran away into the rain, leaving Ron and Crookshanks under the safety of the pavilion.

Later that night, after Ron's incessant begging, she tentatively said yes. In the days that followed, Hermione had subconsciously started to distance herself from Ron. She'd wake up early to go for a jog and miss breakfast with him before work. She'd plan more ladies' nights with Ginny and Luna than necessary. Soon, the two would begin to squabble over the tiniest things. The discord in their relationship came to a head the morning of the trip when Hermione told Ron that telling Harry and Ginny about the engagement early was out of the question.

The two had decided not to tell anyone about the engagement until after the New Year. This idea was pushed by her because she knew that she couldn't handle all of the wedding talk at Christmas dinner or even on this trip. Ron didn't like the idea but agreed to it. He had finally bought her an engagement ring for Christmas but she would only wear it when it was just the two of them. Still, he was insistent about sharing the news with Harry before telling everyone else. Hermione shut it down completely, telling him that if he still wanted to get married then they would wait like they had agreed to.

Hermione poured her third glass of wine mere seconds after sitting down with everyone at the table. Neville still hadn't arrived. There was an awkward vibe hanging over the table.

"I feel a little guilty eating when we have no idea where Neville is." Ron said while stuffing his mouth with a piece of ciabatta bread. Bursts of laughter bounced around the table.

"Ron, I don't think you've ever felt guilty for eating once in your life." Ginny said, pulling a wine glass to her mouth. Her cheeks were rosy from the alcohol. Her smile was contagious.

"You speak truth, sister, but, tonight, there is a smidge of guilt hidden in my stomach with all of this bread. This food is delicious, 'Mione." His cheeks were just as rosy as Ginny's. Relief spread throughout Hermione and she blushed.

"Thank you, babe. I worked hard on this year's menu." She said, smiling modestly and lifting her glass in his direction. This felt nice. This felt normal. She smiled more openly at Ron and then he must have remembered the entirety of the past month because he awkwardly broke eye contact with her. Her smile faltered a bit and she took another sip of wine.

"Yes, Hermione. Mine is delicious as well." Luna's sickly sweet voice rose above the rest.

"Of course, Luna. Yours always look more appetizing to me than what I make for the rest of us. One of these days, I'm just going to have to start making myself the vegetarian options." She said, her smile extended to everyone now. She refused to let this trip be ruined by the problems she and Ron were dealing with.

"I need another drink. Does anyone else need anything from the kitchen?" Harry asked as he stood up from the table. Ron raised his glass of whiskey into the air and wiggled it. Hermione wondered to herself how many more glasses he would have before he drank himself into a stupor. She decided that this glass of wine would be her last for the night. She was already feeling warm all over and a little giggly. Much more would do nothing for her at this point.

Harry entered the kitchen and pulled a beer out of the fridge. He could see through one of the kitchen windows that it was pitch black outside now and he could hear the low whistle of wind coming through a crack somewhere in the house. He wondered if Neville had decided at the last minute not to come on the trip. He wouldn't blame him. He couldn't spend a week with Ginny this soon after breaking up if it was the pair of them in this position.

"The storm is getting pretty bad out there." Harry said, once he sat back down at the table. Luna's face paled a bit and she started sliding potatoes around her plate.

"Should we try to go look for him?" Ginny asked.

"It would be too dangerous for us to go out there. The temperature has dropped drastically in the last few hours." Hermione said, setting her glass down on the table and pulling her sleeves back down to cover her arms.

"I think we should go look for him." Ron said, standing up from the table quickly and heading to the front door to grab his coat and shoes.

"Ronald, if any of us were going to go out into this storm looking for Neville, you would be the last choice. You're pissed off of your ass right now. What makes you think you'd be okay out there?" Ginny had already stepped in front of the door in an attempt to stop him from going outside.

"Oh shut up, Ginny. I haven't had that much to drink." Ron said, trying to pick Ginny up and move her out of his way.

"Don't be daft, Ron. Your shoes are even on the wrong feet." Harry informed him while placing himself between Ron and Ginny. Ron looked down at his feet and saw that Harry was telling the truth. He huffed and stepped out of his shoes. He switched them to their rightful places and looked back up into Harry's face. "Move, Harry. Someone needs to try to find Neville."

"Ron, calm down. Come back in here with Luna and me, please. We can try to call him again." Hermione stepped into the room, motioning for Ron to come back into the dining room with her.

"No, I'm going to find him." Ron pushed Harry out of his way and reached to open the door.

"Ron, stop. I am sure he's fine. Just come back in h-." Hermione started but Ron whirled back around to look at her. His face wasn't determined anymore. It had contorted into something else.

"Oh, you're _sure_ he is fine? How can you be so _sure,_ Hermione?" Ron's voice was strained and his eyes were watering. "You're not sure about anything else. Not even me."

A hush fell over the room. Hermione had gone white in the face and her fists were clenched at her side. Her bottom lip was shaking. Ron held eye contact with her for as long as he could but had to break it in order to keep his composure.

"Ron, I –"Hermione tried to say but the door swung open, knocking Ron out of the way. A snow-covered, heavily bundled Neville entered the cottage.

"Hullo everyone! Sorry about the delayed arrival. It's snowed just a bit out there." Neville said lightly, taking the first of many layers off. It looked as if he was wearing everything that he had packed for the trip. Luna crossed the room, taking huge strides at a time, and wrapped her arms around Neville's neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Neville's body tensed all over, clearly surprised by the unannounced embrace. Luna sensed this and ended the hug immediately.

"So sorry. I was worried. That's all. So sorry." Her face was bright red and she couldn't bring her eyes up from the floor. She turned and quickly went upstairs away from the stunned crowd.

"Luna. Wait." Neville dropped his bag to the ground and followed her up the narrow staircase, leaving the four remaining members of the party in the wreckage of everything that transpired over the last five minutes.

Harry and Ginny knew there was something more to this than what appeared on the surface and excused themselves to the kitchen, leaving Ron and Hermione time to do whatever they needed to do. Ron sat down on the foot of the stairs and put his face in his hands. Hermione felt helpless. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do.

There were three small knocks on the door to Luna's bedroom.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Luna whispered to herself before finally crossing to the door and opening it. Neville's thin frame was leaned back against the hallway wall. He gave her a look as if to ask if he could come in. She stepped to the side so he could enter.

Luna sat back on the corner of the bed, biting her nails. Neville just stood a few feet away from her. The two lived in the silence for a few seconds before Neville broke it.

"I don't want you to think that I didn't hug you back because I'm mad or anything. I was just shocked. I didn't expect any type of physical contact until at least the third day of the trip." Neville's voice was quiet but still full of charm. He was always able to find his confidence around Luna. That's one of the things he loved most about her. She made him a stronger person. Luna chuckled.

"The third day? That soon? What kind of girl do you think I am, Longbottom?" She said through a smile. She felt like she wanted to cry. She had been so nervous about seeing him again. She had always wondered if he really meant it when he said they could still be friends. She was afraid she'd get here and he'd reveal that he hated her now.

"How have you been, Lu?" He asked in an almost whisper.

"Really good actually. I got that naturalist job in Scotland that I told you about." She answered, almost afraid to sound too happy about it. In truth, she was ecstatic. She had never felt more fulfilled professionally.

"The one with Newt Scamander's grandson?"

"Yes. Rolf. He's brilliant."

"Must run in the family." He joked, smiling brightly at her. She returned it.

"Well, what about you? How is the apprenticeship at the school going? Has Sprout made a professor out of you yet?" She asked, patting the bed so he knew that he was allowed to sit with her on the space they had shared so many times before.

"It's been going wonderfully. There's a new challenge for me every day and I've never felt better about my herbology knowledge. She's going to retire soon, I think. I'm almost sure that I've got the job when she does." He was beaming. A pang of regret hit Luna in the chest, but only for a moment.

"Of course you do, Neville. They will be lucky to have you as a professor." She said, meaning every word. Luna knew deep in her heart that she and Neville made the right decision by ending things the way they did and, for the first time in a very long time, Luna felt like things were going the way they were supposed to. Neville was happy and so was she and that's all that really mattered.

It was too quiet. Harry decided that coming to the kitchen was a mistake. Any noise they made would be heard through the dining room and into the lounge where Hermione and Ron were currently not saying a word to each other. Ginny quietly got both of them a fresh beer out of the refrigerator. They clinked bottles as lightly as they could and took a sip.

"What do you think is going on with them?" Ginny whispered to Harry.

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen either of them that upset in, god, I don't know how long. It's been years." Harry responded, worry coloring his face. He kept mentally asking himself how bad it could be. He couldn't handle it if they separated. He didn't know what he'd do.

"Hey. Don't go away. Stay with me, Harry." Ginny said, bringing him back to reality. Sometimes, he would disappear into his head for a while. One of the many side effects from seven years of constant trauma.

"Sorry, Gin. I'm just kind of worried about them. Ron doesn't get that upset. Something must really be wrong."

"I agree that Ron is much more upset than he usually gets about things but I think you're underestimating how much they love each other." Ginny said, grabbing Harry's hand. "No matter what it is they are going through, they'll pull through like they always do. Just like us."

Harry smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"Just like us."

"I am sure about you, Ron." Hermione's voice tore through the pain-filled silence of the room like a knife. Ron doesn't look up at her. He stared at his sock-covered feet for the last ten minutes.

"You're the only thing that I have ever been sure about." Those words came out as a whimper. She felt broken and he wouldn't even listen to her. She stood up and started to walk out of the room, desperate to be alone and away from this pain, if only for a moment.

"Why don't you want to marry me?" He whispered, but she heard him and stopped.

"I do, Ron. I said yes." Tears rolled down her face.

"You left me in the park. You literally ran away from me. I should have just dropped the topic then. You only said yes after I begged you that night. I don't want to be married to someone knowing that it only happened because I tried to force it." Ron was crying too. He kept wiping the tears as soon as they started to fall.

"I was so stupid to run from you that day. I reacted in the worst possible way and I know that, but we are only 23 years old, Ron, and marriage is a big, scary step. That's huge for me. I haven't accomplished hardly anything in my career. I'm still trying to get my license to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and you're an up-and-coming auror. I've done nothing yet, Ron, besides help liberate a few house elves. I want to accomplish something huge before we get married. I don't want you to see me as just your wife." She said all of the things that she had been so afraid to say and she couldn't stop crying.

"How can you say that to me, Hermione? How could I only ever see you as just my wife? You are the strongest, bravest, most powerful witch I have ever known and will ever know. Do you know that?" Ron crossed the room to her and held her hands in his. She looked up in his eyes. They were bloodshot but still so beautiful.

"I'm so scared, Ron. What if we get married and I never ever do anything else?"

"You'll never let that happen. Have you met yourself?" He wiped a tear from her cheek and brought her mouth to his. The kiss was tender and full of love. "We don't have to get married yet. We can wait a few years until you get settled and comfortable in the Wizarding law world. I just want to marry you sometime. I just want to marry you."

They kissed again. This time for much longer. He held her in a warm embrace until her crying had stopped.

"I want to marry you too, Ron Weasley." She broke their embrace and reached into her jeans pocket. She pulled out her engagement ring and slid it back onto her finger.

"What about the others? They'll see it."

"If they figure it out, they figure it out. I don't need to hide it anymore. I shouldn't have hid it in the first place." She kissed him again. "I love you. Always."

"Always."

The heat from the fire radiated around the room, melding with the energy of their love. Ron and Hermione held each other for just a few moments more before leaving the room to find the others and, in the dark of the night, the blizzard's harsh winds faded away into a light breeze.


End file.
